Page 24 of Scarred Sunrise

Holding Liz was like coming home. It was where he was meant to be, but never felt good enough to be. He still didn’t feel worthy, but he was starting to see that it had less to do with him and more to do with the rare gem that she was.

Smithy closed his eyes, thinking he wouldn’t sleep, but when he woke hours later, the sun was coming through the curtains, and neither of them had moved.

Slipping from the bed, he went downstairs and made some coffee before he called Zack and filled him in on what had happened. They agreed to meet at Fortis at two that afternoon to make some plans.

He handed Liz a cup when she walked in the kitchen an hour later wet from the shower, her thick hair in a ponytail that made her look younger than her forty years.

She took the coffee from him with a smile. “You should have woken me.”

“Nah, you needed the sleep. I do need to head to my place and change though before we go for brunch.”

“Fine, I can chuck this in a takeout mug.”

Twenty minutes later, he was rushing through a shower as Lizzie puttered around his space. It was strange to see her here, but he found he liked it. Throwing on jeans and a navy polo shirt, he added a leather jacket, keys and phone, and headed for the living room.

Lizzie grinned when she saw him, making him feel a million bucks. “Ready to go?”

“Yes, where are we going?”

“I thought we could go and get a picnic for two at the Blue Pony.” He held the car door open for her.

“Oh my god, I love that place.”

He smiled as he pulled onto the road. “I know you do.”

Lizzie clapped her hands in excitement, and all his worries seemed to melt into the background.

“Do they still do the little picnic benches?”

Smithy shrugged. “I guess so.”

“Oh, I hope so.”

When they arrived, he was relieved to see they did, and they ordered the brunch bench to share. When it came, Liz took a picture. “I want to show Mateo, he’d love this so much.”

“Maybe when things have settled, we could bring him here.”

Liz went still before her gaze came to his, and he couldn’t read her expression. “I’d like that, Ty. For you and Mateo to get to know each other.”

A knot formed in his chest and he took a sip of the pumpkin spiced coffee to force the lump down. “He seems like a good kid.”

“He’s the best. So kind and caring and so clever.”

He smiled as she told him how Mateo had bought a bracelet for one of Kanan’s daughters. “Wow, brave too.”

“He’s so brave.”

“Like his mum.”

Lizzie blushed. “Thank you.”

“I’d like to get to know him when you feel the time is right.”

“I’d like that, but let’s take it slow. I’m not sure how Marco will feel about it, though.”

Smithy tried not to react to the mention of her ex-husband. The urge to pound the man’s face for ever cheating on her was intense.

Lizzie must have sensed his thought process because she reached across the table and took his hand. “It wasn’t all his fault, Ty. I have some blame to share. I married him knowing my heart belonged to another man, and that was unfair to him.”

“Do you regret marrying him?” He was a dick for asking, but he needed to know.

“It’s useless to have regrets, and if I hadn’t married Marco, I wouldn’t have Mateo, and he’s the best thing in my life. Plus, I’m a big believer in things happening when they’re meant to.”

“Now is our time, Liz.”

“I hope so.”